Sheep Football and Other Strange Tales from Rural America — Eric Pinder

Imagine a place where moose outnumber people, where bears chase cyclists down mountains, where the Milky Way shines brightly in the sky and the nearest traffic light is an hour's drive away. In this collection of stories, essays, and poems, author Eric Pinder celebrates America's rural way of life. In "Signs of the Times," governors, senators, and presidents grovel at the feet of farmers, mill workers, teachers, and Wal-Mart clerks during the New Hampshire Primary. Are sheep the stupidest of the mammals? Are border collies the smartest? Morning chores on the farm become a battle of brawn versus brain in "Sheep Football." A young park ranger gets paid to tolerate tourists and execute bears. He'd rather just go hiking. In "An Eye for Detail," he stomps into the wilderness in search of job satisfaction. Enjoy these tales and two dozen more in a book that journeys from the vanishing family farm to the windswept summit of Mount Washington to the cold beaches of Maine.